Could an assistant coach on the 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide's staff be part of college football's next coaching carousel?
ESPN believes it's a possibility. While taking an early look at names to watch for college football's next coaching cycle, ESPN highlighted Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
Wommack joined Kalen DeBoer's Alabama staff in 2024 and is entering third season as the Tide's defensive coordinator. The 39-year-old has already been a head coach at the FBS level after leading South Alabama for three seasons (2021-23) in the Sun Belt Conference before joining Alabama.
Rittenberg included Wommack on a list of Power Four conference coordinators to watch as potential head coaches in 2027.
"Successful Alabama coordinators usually
have little trouble moving on, and Wommack has the advantage of previous head coaching experience at South Alabama, where he went 10-3 in 2022 and reached consecutive bowl games in his final two seasons. Wommack, 39, led an Alabama defense that ranked 13th nationally in yards allowed and 20th in points allowed in 2025. He has SEC and Big Ten experience as an assistant and should gain more interest if the Tide take another step this fall." --Adam Rittenberg, ESPN.com.
Could Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer be on the move after 2026?
Alabama is 20-8 since DeBoer took over following Nick Saban's retirement in January 2024. He is fresh off an 11-win season and a berth in the College Football Playoff that included a 34-24 road win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the playoff.
But DeBoer still faces some critics from fans and pundits alike, who question whether he's the right fit for the Alabama job, particularly after last season ended with lopsided losses in two of the final three games.
That's in spite of DeBoer's SEC recruiting prowess (his 2026 signing class ranked No. 2 nationally in 247Sports Composite), last year's playoff berth and an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. He also has a 5-1 record against the Tide's three biggest rivals: Auburn, Tennessee and LSU.
Headlined by Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU ahead of the College Football Playoff last year, the 2025 coaching cycle was one of the most active of all time. Could this year's coaching carousel be similarly busy?
As it might pertain to Alabama and DeBoer in 2026, Rittenberg hypothetically asked:
Typically, the coaching carousel that follows one such as 2025's won't be quite as robust or unpredictable. But what if it is? What if something happens at USC? What if Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman says "yes" to the NFL? What if the tension around Kalen DeBoer at Alabama keeps growing and leads him to leave?"
Alabama and DeBoer agreed to a seven-year contract extension in April that will pay him $12.5 million per season. DeBoer was reportedly considered for two Big Ten openings last year, most notably the Michigan Wolverines' vacancy that went to Kyle Whittingham.
The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the AP Top 25 poll entering the season.
Where Alabama football landed on CBS Sports' list of overrated, underrated SEC teams
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) August 30, 2026
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Former Nick Saban assistants named to college football coaching carousel
Two former Saban assistants made ESPN's list as head coaches to watch for new openings this fall.
One of them is a coach who is already with his third team in as many years: Memphis Tigers head coach Charles Huff, who was Alabama's associate head coach and running backs coach from 2019-20.
Rittenberg said of Huff:
"Could Huff land four FBS jobs in four years? Don't rule it out if he wins big at Memphis this fall, which opened Saturday with a massive win at UNLV. Huff guided Marshall to a Sun Belt title in 2024, then left for Southern Miss, which improved by six wins in his only season there. The 43-year-old takes over a Memphis program that has vaulted its past three coaches to Power 4 jobs. Huff spent time in the SEC (including with Nick Saban at Alabama), Big Ten and NFL as an assistant. The Denton, Maryland, native would be a top candidate if Maryland has a vacancy this year."
Another name to watch, ESPN believes, is former Alabama walk-on receiver Lance Taylor, who played for the Tide from 1999-2003 and was a graduate assistant during Saban's first two seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Taylor is beginning his fourth season at Western Michigan in the MAC.
"Last fall, Taylor guided WMU to its first MAC title since 2016, and he did so with a balanced team that rose to ninth nationally in scoring defense and 16th nationally in rushing. A strong encore will put the 45-year-old on the radar for Power 4 opportunities. Taylor is an Alabama alum with extensive NFL experience as well as assistant coach stops at Stanford (where he mentored Christian McCaffrey), Notre Dame and Louisville."
Alabama football schedule 2026
Who has the edge? Latest odds for Alabama vs. East Carolina in Week 1
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) August 30, 2026
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All start times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates, 11 a.m., ABC
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats, 2:30 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles, 2:30 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, prime time
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs, early window
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs, prime time
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies, TBA
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama assistant named to 2026 college football coaching carousel
